"Learn the adventure, the setting, and the motivations of the various NPCs. Careful preparation should give the Gamemaster a deep enough understanding that the right responses will spontaneously emerge and make perfect sense for the situation." (lifted from page 85 of this 88 page Behemoth)
Better advice could not have been written.
Like most (if not all) of White Haired Man's adventures, Nine Tower's takes place in a grittier, lower magic setting them most fantasy games. Take the time to learn the background of the setting, Kith’takharos, as it will add your appreciation of the adventure.
As to the adventure. How to describe it without giving away the plot? This is from the blurb itself:
"The ruthless archaeologist-mage Lenar Hoyt has stolen the most holy artifact of the Bright Water Swamp Men. The tribe holds Kith'takharos responsible, and will destroy the village unless the Order of the Jade Leaf retrieves Tarshal'din's Shining Spear. As the Swamp Man warriors gather for the assault, Hoyt activates the first Teleportation Tower."
Hmm, that is much of the plot I guess. Still, in its simplest summary, the players are on a recovery mission. A timed recovery mission. Thankfully, there are multiple choices for the adventure hook, so it can be tailored more to the party as opposed to shoehorning them into the plot.
This is not a dungeon crawl, although there are rooms and corridors to explore at points in the adventure. It requires more thinking and less swinging. Traveling is the key here, much of it in non standard ways (teleportation anyone?). Some events can be quite deadly (falling comes to mind) that players have little control over (about the only negative that quickly comes to mind).
The use of sidebars for added background and other information is pretty close to perfect. It keeps the flow of reading of the adventure uninterrupted, yet allows one to pause for added detail.
My best undereducated guess is two to three sessions to play out this adventure on a face to face tabletop session, then add one more session for the time lost using FG2 (VTT games always seem to take just a wee bit longer to complete in my experience).
Whereas the PDF gives you a handy way to read the adventure, the FG2 module includes all of that and more for use with the FG2 software. Unless you are a Skype / Teamspeak / Ventrilo / or some other voice software user, the idea of typing out all the descriptions, color text, NPC chat and such can be overwhelming. A well designed FG2 module does all that heavy stuff for you - a few clicks of the mouse and you are moving right along in your role as GM. White Haired Man has done that for you.
The Nine Towers is a great insight in to how, or at least, how high one can strive, to make your own FG2 module for your own use. This is the example one should follow. Links are there where you need them. Need to find the handout of Tarshal'din's Shining Spear for your players? Its linked right in the encounter. Narrative boxes? Check. Tokens specific to the module that can be readily recycled into other game session or systems... or even, heaven forbid, a different VTT? They are there, waiting to be used. They are also very attractive. I happen to like the top down look that was used. Personal preference I guess.
4 stars for the PDF, 5 for the FG2 module... 4.5 rounds up to a 5 ;)
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